Utica police identify officer who fatally shot boy; release video of foot chase and shooting
Utica, N.Y. — Utica police Saturday night released footage from body cameras worn by three officers involved in a foot chase that ended when one of them fatally shot a 13-year-old boy.
They also identified the officer who fired his gun as Patrick Husnay, who has been with the department for six years.
Police said the videos show the boy pointing at officers what turned out to be replica Glock pellet gun.
He and another boy were stopped around 10:18 p.m. Friday in the 900 block of Shaw Street.
Video from the body cameras show one of the officers asking Nyah to lift his hands up to check if he has any weapons.
As he does, Nyah suddenly runs down the street. Officers run after him and yell for him repeatedly to “stop reaching.”
Then they yell to “drop it.”
Another says “he’s got a gun.”
Nyah is tackled to ground after he turns around to face an officer and appears to point something at him. As Nyah and officers are on the ground, a gunshot rings out.
Officers pull away from the boy. The chase to the time of the shot fired was about 15 seconds.
An officer picks up from the ground what looks like a handgun that was lying next to Nyah. He examines it for a few seconds and says he thinks it’s a .22 caliber gun.
Police later said it turned out to be a replica Glock pellet gun.
Husnay, the officer who fired the shot, and two others involved in the chase — Bryce Patterson and Andrew Citriniti — have been placed on paid leave.
Nyah and the other boy, who was also 13 years old, were stopped because they matched descriptions of robbery suspects, police said in a news release Saturday night.
The suspects were involved in at least two robberies and described as “one Asian and one dark skinned male, with one being on foot and the other on a bicycle,” police said.
Nyah and the other boy, who was walking with a bike, were stopped by police based off that description and for being in the area of one of the robberies around the same time it had occurred the night before, police said.
Police said they were also stopped for walking on the street, which is a violation.
Utica police said they have started an internal investigation. The state’s Attorney General’s Office has started its own, as required by state law.
Related Syracuse.com articles
Boy shot and killed by Utica police officer identified, vigil tonight
Boy shot dead by officer in Utica during struggle had pellet gun, chief says
13-year-old boy dies after being shot by Utica police officer during struggle
Staff writer Fernando Alba covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, question or comment? Reach him at falba@syracuse.com.
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